1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connecting arrangement for connecting a stiffening beam to a bracket in a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
German patent application DE 10 2008 027 199.3 discloses a transverse stiffening structure for a motor vehicle with two transverse beams that extend in the vehicle transverse direction and that have an upwardly open guide contour. Transverse stiffening elements are guided or held in the guide contour of each transverse beam. At least the transverse stiffening elements are connected to an adjacent B pillar by a deformable crash bracket that absorbs energy in the event of an accident. This transverse stiffening structure for a motor vehicle is simple to mount and ensures a particularly high level of protection in the event of a side impact.
DE 24 56 740 describes a screw connection for sheet-metal screws. The screw connection of DE 24 56 740 has a nut piece formed by two sheet-metal regions bent out of a sheet-metal part. The bent-out sheet-metal regions are provided with slots aligned at right angles to one another and overlap in such a way that a sheet-metal screw can be screwed into the common through-opening of the overlapping slots. The overlapping slots in the two bent-out sheet-metal regions thereby form, by means of their common through-opening, a nut for a screw. Other components also can be fastened, if desired, to be fastened to a screw connection of this type.
A stiffening beam and a bracket of a motor vehicle also conventionally are connected to one another to one another by welding. A welded connection, however, has disadvantages. In particular, the welded connection can be released only by destroying the connecting point, and a retroactive correction or alignment of the connecting point is not possible without destruction. Furthermore, a welded connection cannot be pre-mounted in a correctable manner without destruction by means of the welding process itself, which leads to increased mounting expenditure.
The invention is concerned with an improved connecting arrangement that is characterized by correctability of the connecting point.